The opening hours at the Medical Assessment Unit in Ennis Hospital are to be extended.
As part of plans first announced by the Department of Health in April, the Ennis MAU will now operate sixteen hours from 8am until 12 midnight.
The move was welcomed by Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF).
“I am delighted to get confirmation from Minister Stephen Donnelly and the HSE today that the opening hours at the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) at Ennis Hospital are to be extended,” he said.
“Currently, the MAU operates for 12 hours a day, from 8am until 8pm. From next Monday, October 14, the MAU will be open from 8am until midnight.
“This is welcome news for the people of Clare and a positive step in alleviating pressure and attendance numbers at the already over-stretched hospital at UHL.
“Currently, half a million people in the MidWest have only one Accident & Emergency department available to them, at University Hospital Limerick.
“I have long criticised the woeful 2009 decision to close Ennis hospital, and I think it is well beyond time that Ennis returns to a full, 24-hour Model 3 Hospital.
“Minister Stephen Donnelly has already commissioned a HIQA report to establish the needs of the region and if a second Model 3 in the Mid-West is necessary. I think the outcome of this report, which is due early next year, is blatantly obvious and I’m sure it will absolutely reinforce the calls for a second Model-3. This needs to be based in Clare.
“While we await the outcome of that report, the extension of opening hours at Ennis MAU is a welcome step in addressing patient needs. I want to thank Minister Stephen Donnelly and senior HSE officials for taking on board my calls, and those of other Clare Oireachtas members, for longer hours in Ennis.”
Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, investigative reporter and blogger who has been working in the media in Ireland for the past 20 years. His areas of special interest include the environment, mental health and politics.